After the Storm
by Samuretard
Summary: The horrifying events in the Kaio system are over. But when Rallen is offered a special oppurtunity, his reply upsets the people closest to him and one person in particular... I do not own Spectrobes. Status: Active and being updated.
1. Chapter 1

Rallen sat at the controls of his patrol ship. He kept tapping his Prizmod. Ever since the events in the Kaio System, he was trying to get it working again. But he couldn't. Even Jeena was having problems. Her scanner crashed when she tried to fix his Prizmod. Dave in the Weapons centre took a glance at it, and said there was something terribly wrong with it.

He sighed, banged his left arm on the control panel and left. As he was exiting the ship, he noticed that Jeena was talking to someone indistinctly near the doors. Rallen barely heard anything. Komainu climbed onto his shoulder and made some sound from his ear.

Jeena walked up to Rallen with a slight spring in her step.

"Hey there Jeena." He greeted, rather half-heartedly.

"Hello Rallen!" she replied, cheerfully.

"I was just heading to the Command Centre, Grant wants to ask me something." said Rallen, walking past her.

Jeena knew something was wrong. Ever since the day he came back. She thought it was homesickness, but it wasn't. Before exiting the ship, Rallen and Grant had an indistinct conversation in the cargo room of his ship. She heard only the last words leave Grant's mouth.

"If you ever change your mind Rallen, come see me."

Something wasn't right. If Rallen was unhappy, Jeena wasn't as cheerful. Normally, she would have brushed the thought aside, but she didn't. She made her way to the Command Centre.

Inside the Command Centre, Rallen was talking to Grant. The conversation was intense and Rallen left with a rather worried look on his face. Jeena met his eyes and her question was brief and blunt.

"What did Grant offer you?" she asked, with her determined face.

Rallen sighed. He thought things over. If he told her what this was about, she would be unhappy. But somehow, her feelings were less important than they used to be. So he built up the courage to answer.

"Grant offered me a place in the Special Forces."

Jeena was stunned and almost tripped over her boots. "Wow Rallen, that's a great offer!".

Rallen thought so too, but he couldn't bear to leave his old job, his suit, his ship and most of all, his partner.

"It is Jeena, but that means I won't see you at all. The Forces run extremely covert operations."

Her smile dissolved. Her brain calculated what would happen, but of all the tasks she had done in the past, this was harder. Finally she spoke up.

"Rallen, I would really like you to stay with the NPP. I mean, if you don't, I'll miss you, Komainu will miss you, and everyone else in the NPP. "

Rallen anticipated she would say this, and simply left. Jeena followed him from a distance, hoping he would stay. He had feelings for Jeena, only he and Aldous knew that. So he went to see him. Aldous was starting to grow streaks of grey hair, he was getting rather old. He was outside the Museum in one of the parks. Rallen sat down in the bench next to him. Aldous was surprised to see him.

"Rallen, is your Prizmod working yet?" he asked with anticipation.

"No, but that's not what I'm here for." He replied.

"Alright, but I'm not sure how else I can help, what do you want to talk about?" Aldous asked.

"The Commander offered me a place in the Special Forces. ".

Aldous gasped. "Rallen, that's a great opportunity!"

"It is, but if I take it, I will have to resign my position in the NPP."

Aldous scoffed. "What does the NPP have? The Special Forces have better weapons, better wages and better cappuccino machines! They also have-"

Rallen glared him, directly in the eyes. Jeena, who was hiding behind a nearby tree, was hearing everything. Aldous realised what Rallen meant.

"Oh, Jeena, you'll have to be without her."

"Yeah, I want to work by her side, she makes me feel….like I'm doing something right." Rallen looked down.

Jeena almost shed a tear at the last comment. He waited for the inevitable.

"Well Rallen, I guess the question is, what do you want?" Aldous asked.

Rallen stuttered. "This job…. It's what I want."

"Then accept it." Aldous replied, bluntly.

"She's going to hate me Aldous" said Rallen, head still looking down.

"That's something you're going to have to live with." Aldous said, with lack of any emotion in his voice.

Jeena covered her face, and ran for the ship. Harry saw her.

"Hey Jeena, what's wrong?" he asked.

Jeena didn't see him and bowled him over.

"Hey!" he exclaimed.

Inside the ship, Jeena cried and cried. She tried to feel happy for Rallen, but she couldn't. She knew she was being selfish, but she couldn't help herself. She stopped crying, but only because her eyes were red. A few hours later, Aldous finally found her in the cargo room, lying on the tiles curled in a pink ball.

He kneeled down. "Hey Jeena, what's wrong-" He never finished his sentence. Jeena punched him in the chest and he fell backwards. She stood up.

"Why did you have to tell him!?" she yelled, in fury.

"It was an opportunity." replied Aldous, still on the floor. "And a good one too."

Jeena knew he was right and tried to calm down. With her face still wet and her eyes still red, she sat down in her chair in the cockpit. She glanced to her left at the empty seat where Rallen used to make his jokes and where he did all sorts of ridiculous things. Only now did she realise how much she missed her partner. Her eyes cleared and shed another tear. She then found out she wasn't the only one. Komainu was under the chair, and hopped onto her lap. He was weeping, whatever counted as weeping for a Child Spectrobe.

She looked at her own reflection in the empty metallic seat. Her electric blue eyes still had a shade of red in them. She remembered what they did together. Every morning, they would run for the ship to go on patrol, Rallen always made it there first. They would buckle in and request clearance to take off. Then they would fly around the system patrolling space. Rallen would sometimes do something stupid, like accidentally knocking over the save pod or something.

She brushed the thought aside, as a transmission came in. It was Harry. She waited for 10 seconds, and then opened the channel with her shaky hand.

"This is Jeena." She said, in her normal, calm voice.

"Yeah um hey Jeena, now, I got two things. Firstly, you gotta come down to the Command Centre, and secondly, what were you so sad about this morning?" he asked, in his high pitched voice.

"None of your business." She snapped and closed the channel. She made her way the the Command Centre, and found Grant greeting her at the door. She saluted.

"Now Jeena, now that Rallen is in the Special Forces, you will need a new partner. There is you new partner, his name is Charlie. "

She glanced to Grant's right. Internally she gasped. Charlie was almost exactly the same as Rallen, but with blond hair and he was much taller. She managed to keep herself calm. Grant didn't, or didn't seem to notice.

He continued. "Charlie is a professional pilot straight out of the Academy, he is also a crack with his blaster. In other words he will be a very loyal partner and does his job well."

"Like Rallen?" she asked, hopefully.

Grant looked at her with a puzzled face. "Erm… yes, minus the recklessness."

Charlie walked up to Jeena and tilted his head down slightly. "Please to meet you Jeena, it's an honour to be your partner, I have heard many things about you."


	2. Chapter 2

**Please review :)**

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><p>Jeena looked up at her new partner. Charlie resembled Rallen, but in a way they were completely different. The fact that Charlie resembled her former partner made her want to cry, and only the training received in the academy to control feelings saved her from bursting out in tears. She shook his hand.<p>

"Pleased to meet you too Charlie." She finally replied. Grant broke the silence a few moments later. He looked at his watch then turned around to face the two.

"Ah… Jeena, why don't you take Charlie for a walk into your ship, show him around and get to know each other." He suggested.

She was horrified. He knew the Commander was giving her a silent order, and nodded. He motioned towards Charlie. "Let's go to the hangar Charlie." She said in a rather dull voice.

In stark contrast, Charlie was cheerful. "Yes let's!" he smiled. It almost made Jeena feel better. On the way to the hangar, Charlie bombarded her with questions she could barely answer. One struck a raw nerve and it was:

"Are you Rallen's girlfriend?"

She almost tripped. She found her senses and answered. "No, not at all." She couldn't bear to lie but she had to. Charlie stopped asking questions, much to Jeena's relief.

When the doors slid apart, Charlie gazed at the ship. "Whoa! Awesome ship Jeena! We need these at the academy. I can't wait to try it out!" he was ecstatic.

Charlie bolted up the stairs, jumped and landed in the cockpit chair. "This ship is awesome! I can't wait to try it out in the morning!" Komainu cowered in the Save Pod in case Charlie stepped on him or something. Charlie saw him and walked over.

"Whoa! A real Spectrobe! We only got to see one once. The Academy also needs this this guy!"

Komainu tried to run but he was cornered and Charlie picked him up.

"Hey there little fella, what's your name?" he asked. His voice sounded an octave higher than normal.

Komainu struggled and finally broke free. He ran for Jeena, who was standing on the ramp. She had an annoyed look on her face. Charlie lost his smile.

"Sorry Jeena, I got a bit carried away." He said, apologetically.

Jeena walked up. "It's alright Charlie, everything here is different. You will get used to it soon though."

She turned around and headed for her apartment in the city. Charlie did the same. All the same, she still thought about Rallen. She took a train to the west end of the city. She almost forgot she hadn't been here for weeks.

It was rather dark by the time she made it to her apartment building. As she rummaged in her backpack for keys, she didn't notice the ruffling in the bushes. Then she turned around. A black silhouette of someone walked forward. Instinctively, she turned around, and pointed her blaster at the figure. The figure walked into the lamp in the garden. He was in a jet black suit, with a blaster on one arm and a blue glove on the other. It was Special Forces Agent Rallen.

Jeena's jaw dropped in shock. She had had one too many surprises today. Rallen walked closer his eyes were locked on hers. He spoke in his usual voice.

"Jeena I-"

She slapped him across his cheek. Rallen stumbled backwards and put his glove up to his face. Jeena's anger came back, and her eyes glowed red hot. Rallen turned around, which cooled her mind. His head slightly turned. "I'm sorry." He whispered, so quietly only Jeena heard it, not that anyone was around. He started to walk away.

"Rallen" Jeena called in her voice to get his attention. She knew Rallen would react because she had said it so many times in the past. On Himuro, Meido, Nessa, Wyterra, Bahmud, and Malik. Rallen turned. She sprinted up to him and hugged him. Tears flowed from her eyes onto his suit.

"Don't go, please!" Jeena begged desperately.

"Too late, Jeena." Rallen replied as he let go. His words stung her like killer bees. Jeena tried to absorb them, but she just kept crying, and lay on the grass. Rallen walked away, heartlessly. She struggled to stand up, and walked into the building. She entered the elevator, which thankfully was empty. She looked at the mirror. She looked at herself. She had just been rejected.

Jeena walked into her apartment, which was exactly the same as when she left it weeks ago. She unpacked her backpack, and walked into the bathroom for a shower. The hot water didn't make her feel better. She dressed, and lay down on her bed, and looked at the ceiling. She had inscribed words onto the ceiling from her graduation into the NPP.

'Jeena Haruhi, you are officially an officer of the Nanairo Planetary Patrol.'

The words after that were just blabber about the rules and how they would act and defend the system.

For the first time in her life, the words were meaningless. She was broken. She knew Charlie was a promising partner, but she still couldn't get over the fact that Rallen rejected him for a job.

Then she had a flashback. It was her graduation.

After her, she saw a scrawny teenager with orange hair stumble onto the stage and accept his diploma. He was clumsy, and reckless. He almost knocked her over on the stage, and she got really annoyed. When they were announced as partners, the other graduates laughed, saying they would be at each other's throats in days. They were almost right.

Then, she fell asleep. She had a nightmare. She was standing in the Dark Palace, on Malik. Rallen was up against a Krawl Vortex, unaware of the second , much larger, Vortex creeping up behind him. She tried to warn him, but her words were silenced. Rallen was consumed by the Vortex, she could hear him shouting. She couldn't bear it, the sound of Rallen dying and her helplessness tore her apart. Then, she heard laughing. The laughs were at her inability to warn Rallen.

What really hurt was who the people laughing were. Jado, Gronos, Gelberus, Maja, Krux, and even people she knew such as Professor Wright and Kate, Grant, Harry, Webster, Cyrus, and Radese. She bolted upright, sweat beading down her head. It was two in the morning. She decided to read her favourite novel.

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><p>2 years later...<p>

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><p>A black ship was flying towards Genshi. On board was Rallen with 3 other Special Forces Agents. The ship was so small it was impossible to detect, and as it approached orbit on Genshi, Rallen and his comrades signaled to each other and each hopped into a pod. After a bit of dialing, the pods dropped down onto the surface of the humid planet. Rallen was terrified. This his very first time. He had orders to repel rebels in a village on Genshi.<p>

After entering the atmosphere, Rallen pulled a switch and an air brake shot out from the pod, slowing his descent. Grueling minutes passed. Soon, it broke away and Rallen was free falling again at four hundred metres from the surface. His pod touched down, and thanks to his suit, Rallen was scratch-free and jumped out, with a gun blaster out. His comrades, who had landed within a One hundred metre radius, regrouped and ran towards the village. The team crept into the village, where they spotted enemy patrols. They were pilfering the village supplies and money. Rallen motioned to his squad to stay hidden.

"Ok guys, just how we planned it. Naomi and Kurt post atop the blacksmith. Get a view of the area but don't fire until the rebels see you or they shoot someone.

Two of the agents nodded. Their suit radios were more quiet than water flowing down a serene river. Rallen had faith that it was quiet enough. Then, he turned to the agent next to him.

"Randall, you're with me. Rendezvous on the east side of the village."The thin figure nodded. In the dead of night, they were no more visible than cells to the naked eye.

Kurt and Naomi crept on top of the metal building and gave the all clear. Rallen and Randall sprinted quietly towards the East End.

That was when the whole plan went wrong.

Rallen saw a rebel separated from the others robbing a man of his Gura. He crept up and pointed his blaster at the rebel, who's face was concealed by a mask.

He spotted Rallen, and ran. Rallen fired his silenced blaster, which missed and took a chunk of rock the size of a tissue box from a building. Rallen ran as fast as he could after the rebel, and rounded a corner only to see that he had taken another person hostage. "Drop your blaster or I shoot!" he shouted at Rallen. Rallen could tell if it was a man by his voice. The rebel repeated in a harsher tone and emphasized, by poking the hostage's neck with the gun barrel. Rallen had no choice.

He activated the self-destruct sequence his blaster and slid it over. The blaster had an implanted smoke grenade which detonated. Rallen ran up and punched the rebel who dropped like a puppet, then he grabbed the hostage and ran. Then he rounded a corner and saw a patrol of rebels with guns trained on him. Then the 'hostage' struggled free, ran to the their side and pointed a pistol at him.

The patrol fired. Shots struck Rallen on the chest and he fell backwards in pain. Moments later, he was lying motionless on the ground.

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><p><strong>Major cliffhanger. <strong>


	3. Chapter 3

**Slightly longer chapter. Bad reviews aren't going to stop this FanFic, but just show your opinion and I will be accepting plot ideas once this story gets more views. **

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><p>Rallen lay on the ground, dust flew everywhere, and he coughed inside his suit. He heard a loudspeaker in the village sound.<p>

"Exercise 117 over. All agents report back to camp." It repeated the message in its digital female voice.

A middle aged-woman walked up to Rallen, with an annoyed look on her face.

"Deviated from your own plan again Agent Lumani?" she asked.

Rallen simply spluttered. The woman pointed a sort of remote at his armour and at the press of a button, the armour unlocked. He saw that multiple fake rounds had impacted his armour. The rounds were especially made so they would melt just before impact to leave a red mark on the armour. It would also lock up the armour so that in an exercise, the target was 'dead'.

"Unacceptable" said the woman and she left.

The lights came on in the virtual village, and the winning team left the room, followed by Rallen's squad. Naomi removed her helmet, revealing a rather pale girl with brown hair. She had a glare on her face.

"My combat scores have dropped because of your recklessness Rallen".

She left for her room. Kurt, the quieter member of the squad, removed his helmet too. His face was covered in freckles, and his shade was slightly darker than Rallen himself.

"Woman's got a point." Without another word, Kurt entered his room, and closed his door. Randall, Rallen's best friend at the academy, had dyed burgundy hair, and his shade was the same as Rallen.

"Rallen, don't be reckless, this is like, the umpteenth time you've screwed up." He said, in his soothing voice. It was gentle but firm. As the two friends entered Rallen's room, they both sat down on his bed. Rallen sighed.

"You're right Randall; I've screwed this team over too many times."

Randall understood. He was a few weeks older than Rallen. "Being squad leader isn't easy, how about I take point next time?" he offered.

Rallen turned his head. "You mean it? I mean, it is a big responsibility, like you said."

Randall replied after a short moment to think and the two started to get off topic and started joking about raiding the canteen and whatnot. Then, another loudspeaker sounded.

"Lights out in five minutes, all agents report to barracks."

"That's my cue, night buddy" he whispered to his best friend and he walked slowly to his room next to Rallen's, leaving him in his own thoughts.

When he was certain that Randall wasn't in the corridor anymore, he took out a picture and looked at it. Most photographs and other things were to be stored in the virtual private box in his room, but this photo was too precious to be subject to anything like that.

Besides, he was uncertain if the academy teachers could see what went in there. He shuddered at the thought. It was a photograph of his classmates at the NPP academy. They were hardly older than high school students at the time. Rallen repeated everyone's name as he moved his eyes along the rows. Then, he stopped. There, was a pink haired girl with a silver jacket. Jeena Haruhi. Rallen remembered the last time he saw her was in tears, lying on the ground. He couldn't forgive himself for just walking away.

Rallen walked quietly to his bed, and motioned for the lights to dim. He took off his armour and dressed in his black nylon suit. It wasn't the most comfortable, but sometimes in the morning the officers would call them to wake up to test how fast they could get out of their bunk.

Randall wasn't especially good at this, so over the months, the two made a hole in the thin walls between their rooms so Rallen could give him a wakeup call if need be.

He motioned at the lights again and they turned off. He lay down in his bunk and slept.

"Tommorow is the last major excersise of our training" he thought.

In his dream was Kollin. Everything was normal. Children were playing, adults were working. Then, a vortex the size of the planet engulfed it. The dream was so short and so frightening Rallen woke up and gasped. He kept still. Randall, who was still awake, whispered through the hole.

"Bad dream buddy?" he asked.

"Yeah, um pretty much Randall" Rallen answered, still shaking. He laid back down and Randall likewise.

In the morning, there was no wake up drill, so everyone took a while to wake up. Going to sleep at 2150 hours and waking up at 0540 was tough but after 2 years, the agents had got used to it.

"All agents report to mess hall." announced the loudspeaker.

As the agents lined up in single file to receive their breakfast, Rallen didn't have an appetite. He picked at his food. Kurt noticed. He shuffled along the bench next to him.

"Something bugging ya Rallen?" he asked.

"No, it's nothing, just a small bruise on my chest". He lied. He was homesick. It wasn't the first time, but this time it was stronger.

Kurt nodded in acknowledgement, and continued to eat his food. Rallen did the same. Not long after, Randall shuffled across to the squad table. He set his tray down next to his friend.

"Morning Rallen, those bruises still hurt?" he asked cheerily.

"Still do Randall." replied Rallen.

"You know" said Randall, ignoring Rallen's previous reply "I heard that the new academy is gonna have better imfirmaries."

Rallen was surprised. New academy?

"Where is this new academy Randall?"

"Haven't you heard? It's in Sydney VIII! Oh boy, I've been waiting ages to go there! It's got better rooms and better stuff to toy around-" Then Rallen made a face and Randall stopped.

He knew that Sydney VIII was halfway across Kollin. It was far, far away from Kollin City. He also knew that if he left, he would have no chance of getting in touch with Jeena, not that he had done so since he last saw her more than 2 years ago.

He checked his calendar. He saw something interesting, and then turned his head to Randall, who was struggling to fit a bread roll loaded with jam into his mouth.

"Randall, how long will it take for the academy to transfer?" inquired Rallen.

Randall had finally squeezed the roll into his mouth, chewed a few times and swallowed. Then he replied. "Thought you would never ask buddy, eight days, and the best part is, we get leave until then." Satisfied that he had said all he knew, he turned his attention to a rasher of bacon, and continued eating.

Rallen knew this was his chance to finally see Jeena, but there were many situations he had to consider. What if she already had found a boyfriend? What if she hated him and never wanted to see him again? Or, horrors of horrors, what if she had completely forgotten about him?

He gulped. The academy was closing in a day. He had 8 days to find Jeena. Then another thought struck his mind. What would he tell her? That he loved her? That he was wrong to reject her? He didn't know. Neither of them seemed to justify what he had done. Jeena knew that.

He stood up, and walked to his room, leaving his plain bread roll for a very hungry Randall, who wolfed it down in ten seconds. Rallen entered the lock password, and opened the door to his room. He started to pack his bags. Everything went inside, pens, a deck of cards, books, his laptop and his entire folder of academy documents. Next up were his photographs.

As Rallen flipped through all the pictures taken at the academy, he smiled. Since the day he had walked through the doors to the academy, and putting on his suit for the very first time. It was full of nostalgia. Then he fished out the one of him and Jeena in front of their very first patrol cruiser. Both of them were rookies, and it was their very first real cruiser, unlike the virtual ones.

Rallen looked at it for minutes, but it felt like seconds. He then slipped it into his pocket and emptied his virtual storage box. He zipped up his bag, and lay down on the bed for a few minutes until the others returned to pack.

Rallen entered the corridor, and saw Naomi stuff a white teddy bear into her duffle bag. He chuckled. Naomi didn't notice. He glanced to his right. Kurt had finished packing, and his bag was substantially smaller. He didn't bring much. In stark contrast, Randall struggled with a bag almost the size of himself out of his room. Rallen laughed and helped Randall steady himself.

"It's sad to leave this place." Randall grunted under the weight of his bag.

Rallen agreed a little more than Randall had intended. Rallen backtracked a few steps and glanced into his room. He took one last moment to see his old home, and shut the door, which locked with an distinctive _'click'_. He sighed, and then walked down the corridor, to join his squad.

Along the way to the gate they saw pictures being carefully placed in boxes and trophies in bubble wrap. They were all coming along.

After a few minutes of walking across the complex, they arrived at the gate. Rallen stopped, his squad followed suit.

"I'll see you all in a week guys." he announced and left for the gate. Kurt shook his hand. So did Naomi. They parted in different directions but Randall walked with Rallen into the subway. There, they caught a train to Kollin City, where they got off, shook hands and then parted ways.

Randall headed for the south side of the city, where he lived. Rallen, on the other hand, walked to NPP headquarters, which he observed had changed substantially.

The hangar was about tripled in size; all the ships looked slightly more modern, but still retained their original shape. Despite not being an NPP officer and not having permission to be here, all the guards allowed him to pass because of his reputation here.

Rallen traversed the entire hangar, and found a ship different from all others. It was his old ship. The door was closed, but Rallen just tapped the door, and it opened, thanks to an ecstatic Komainu. Rallen walked inside.

At first glance, nothing had changed but soon he realised the cockpit seats were larger, more comfortable and the ship controls seemed to be less stiff than before, not that he would try them out inside the hangar. There was also a rather small cappuccino machine next to the save pod.

After seeing everything there was to see, Rallen stepped inside the cargo room elevator, which was no longer blue but orange, like his hair. The machines inside were still in their original positions, although that incubator looked like it had been heavily modified. The Cyrus Express was gone, and the Card Input machine was smaller.

Rallen was surprised by the lack of major change. He left, with Komainu staying inside, sad to see him leave so quickly. He made for the door. He was still thinking about what to say to Jeena when he bumped into someone half a head taller than him in an NPP suit with orange hair. Charlie.

"Woops!" exclaimed Charlie. "Are you okay sir?"

Rallen patted himself and was about to excuse himself when he saw that Charlie's suit had a Komainu insignia on it. It meant only one thing.

"You-"he stuttered. "You're Jeena's new partner?"

Charlie helped Rallen up on his boots. "Sure am sir. Was just about to head out on a routine patrol."

Rallen looked at him before asking the first question on his mind. "You're name?"

"Charlie Franklin sir" came the quick reply. "May I ask yours?"

Rallen coughed. "Rallen Lumani"

Charlie's eyes grew to the size of dinner plates. "Rallen? As in THE Rallen who saved Nanairo!? Oh boy, is this an honour!" he started shaking Rallen's hand twenty times a second.

Rallen backed up and asked another question. "When does your patrol finish?"

Charlie was puzzled at this question. "1430 hours sir".

Rallen had four hours until Jeena finished her patrol. In that time, he had to keep a low profile in Kollin City. One question buzzing in his mind was: Was Charlie Jeena's boyfriend? His mind churned to find an answer, but asking Charlie upfront would just seem like being nosy and awkward.

He turned and left.

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><p><strong>You guys are probably wondering where the Krawl are. Patience. If you haven't noticed yet, I'm Australian, so some words are different in spelling. <strong>


	4. Chapter 4

**Shorter, but with more goodies ;) As always, please review. **

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><p>Charlie pounced into the patrol cruiser, where Jeena awaited him, just exiting the cargo bay elevator. She sat down in her pilot seat and requested clearance for takeoff. Charlie sat down in his own chair, with Komainu in his lap.<p>

After some pre-flight checks, Jeena opened the throttles and their spaceship took off. Unbeknownst to either of the two, Rallen was watching them from a few kilometres away. He disappeared around a corner and entered a phone box, slamming the door behind him. A few thousand kilometres above Kollin was his old patrol cruiser. It broke free of Kollin's gravitational field.

Inside the cruiser, Charlie paced the cockpit floor, as if he had swallowed a bucketful of sugar. Jeena knew he was also hyperactive, and over the last couple of years, she had managed to tolerate it. Sometimes, Charlie would try to impersonate Rallen but in Jeena's eyes, he never came close.

At other times, he would break something in the cruiser and Jeena had to fix it. She sighed. She had almost forgotten who Rallen was, and the only thing that stopped her from forgetting was Komainu.

In her hands she fiddled with a lacquer box, which was empty but she intended to keep something special in it; something very special. She lost concentration and regained it. Charlie maxed out the throttle and Jeena had to hold on to her seat or be flown backwards.

She cleared her throat "Charlie, I'm going to my room to get something alright?"

Charlie half listened and replied "Yeah yeah, ok"

Jeena nodded and got out of her pilot seat and into the cargo bay elevator, which stopped halfway between the cockpit and cargo room to access their rooms on the cruiser. Her room had a Komainu picture on the door. She stepped forward but turned back to glance at Charlie's door. It was blank. Jeena shook her head and entered her room.

She placed the lacquer box in a drawer. Then, she stared at a picture on her wall. It was a picture of her and Rallen in front of their very first patrol cruiser. She was sceptical at first about letting Rallen fly, but she figured that Rallen would whine if she stopped him, so she let him fly.

She kept staring. She missed Rallen, but she knew that any hopes of seeing him again were just wishful thinking. She knew that because if he cared about her, he would have contacted her, not stayed silent for two years. She just lay on her bunk, and lost track of time. Sometime later, Jeena stared out the window and saw Nessa come into view. She wondered how long she had been down here. Better not to find out.

Jeena walked out of the elevator and saw Charlie piloting the cruiser with incredible skill. The ride was smooth, completely unlike Rallen piloting with daring and his daredevil sharp turns and barrel rolls. Like Charlie, she had gotten used to that.

Rallen sat down on a bench in the East Side Park. There were young children playing with paper aeroplanes the shape of patrol cruisers and marbles. He had forgotten how much he had missed while spending 2 years at the academy. Jeena would surely not be happy to see him. He had withheld contacting her because he was paranoid about someone eavesdropping, especially Randall, and he didn't want that, despite Randall being his best friend.

He glanced at his watch. 1612 hours, it read. Internally he sighed. Going to Jeena's house to meet her was probably the best or the worst choice he would ever make. Just thinking about it made him cringe.

He traversed the stairs down into the subway, and boarded a train to the West Side. The train was almost empty, and extremely quiet. Rallen saw a couple embracing each other at the end of the carriage. His mind was so lost in thought he almost missed his stop.

He got off his train and strolled onto the street and glanced at his watch again. 1628 hours. As usual, his on the fly thinking was working out what to say to Jeena. Before long, a pink haired woman rounded the corner. Rallen glanced at her. She was taller, her hair was brighter, and her boots were shinier than he remembered.

He hid behind a bush and waited for her to stop at the door to rummage for keys. He crept out slowly and opened his mouth.

"You didn't notice me this time." He was stating the obvious, although it had a completely different effect on Jeena. She recognised the voice before it even left Rallen's mouth. She turned around, and dropped her backpack, which made a muffled sound as it hit the pavement.

Rallen, who was wearing a simple blue shirt and jeans, felt a little raw, he hadn't been out of his Special Forces suit for this long, ever. Jeena kicked his shins and Rallen stumbled.

"Two years! For two years, you never said anything! Why!?" Jeena was angry and just as surprised.

Rallen didn't know how to reply, but did so.

"Didn't want anyone, to find out" he stuttered, still crouching.

Jeena calmed down. He knew that Rallen valued his privacy over her, this was completely normal. Rallen stood up. "Guess this means I had better go" He turned around and started walking. Jeena didn't want him to leave.

"Rallen" she called. Rallen stopped. The word repeated in his head, just as it had done so two years ago. But this time, he didn't leave her. He turned around. Jeena sprinted up to him and the couple locked lips for the first time.

"Don't ever, not in a million aeons, leave me again" she whispered in his ear. Still holding onto Rallen, she used her left hand to fish in her bag for keys, and opened the door. She scooped up her bag, and the two, still hugging, entered her apartment. Rallen recognised the fragrance. Pine.

Rallen turned his head away, and picked up his girlfriend, who was now laughing. He dropped her on the bed and stood still.

"I have one week here. One week, in heaven." He himself lay down next to Jeena on her bed, and whispered words into her ear that were two years overdue. "I love you Jeena". A smile crept across her face, followed by a tear from a closed eye.

"Jeena" Rallen said in a different voice, "How about we have some fun, seeing as we only have a week?"

Jeena giggled and knew that he meant. Rallen threw his shirt across the room which caught on a chair. They tossed and turned until midnight, giggling and moaning until morning.

Rallen realised he was awake, and then he instantly sat up. He thought he was dreaming, and said so out loud. Then, the door opened and into the room walked the most beautiful person he had ever seen. It was Jeena, with a smile on her face and a tray with two cups of coffee.

"No Rallen, you certainly weren't dreaming." She said, with a giggle. She set the tray down on the bedside table. Rallen noticed a small lacquer box on the tray. He had seen some being used in jewellery stores but didn't think much.

"Well, Rallen, it's Saturday, so what do you want to do?" Rallen's reply was unusual.

"Actually Jeena, could I use your computer for a bit?" Jeena made a weird looking face, but agreed. Rallen smiled, kissed her and sat down at her desk. After getting his girlfriend to log him in, he browsed apartments in Sydney VIII. He found a perfect one, and printed an image of it; all while Jeena was making both of them breakfast.

Rallen snatched the picture out of the printer's mouth and walked outside. Jeena was cooking macaroni, his favourite. When she set down a bowl of cheesy food on the table and called for him, Rallen walked slowly with his hands behind his back and a smile on his face. Jeena immediately noticed.

"Ok Rallen, what have you got now?" she asked, with a playful smile.

"This, is going to be our new apartment, where we can live together and-" He saw a look on Jeena's face and stopped. "Right, never mind, bad idea"

Jeena shook her head and hugged him. "I love this, just like I love you" and kissed Rallen on his forehead. Then, just as the two were about to get in bed again, there was a knock on the door. "That's probably the postman with a heavy package for me." Jeena said casually.

Rallen opened the door and to his surprise, there was Naomi. "Naomi" Rallen stuttered, "What are you doing here?"

"Just passing on a message, you know Rallen; you aren't allowed to have love interests when you join the Forces."

"How did you know?"

"Look at your ankle."

Rallen pulled down his sock and saw an ankle monitor. It was standard for all Forces agents to have one, in case one deserted. Naomi pulled out a remote, pressed a switch and the ankle monitor unclipped itself. Rallen was surprised. Naomi wasn't.

"Rallen, you're fired"

* * *

><p><strong>Oooo, whatever will happen next?<strong>


	5. Chapter 5

After Naomi had left, Rallen was no longer in the cheerful state he was in before. He sat down on Jeena's couch and planted his hands in his face. Jeena could do nothing to soothe him.

"My life…. just slips through my fingers because I love someone…." Rallen muttered. Jeena agreed it was extremely unfair. But what she believed didn't matter. She kissed him on the cheek.

"You've still got me Rallen." She whispered.

That got his attention. He sat up, forced a weak smile and kissed her forehead. They both stared at each other until Rallen broke the silence. "I'm off to HQ to get my old job back." He stared the walk for the door until Jeena stopped him, with a naughty smile on her face.

"Rallen, it's Saturday, we have the weekend to ourselves." She giggled. Rallen knew what she was thinking.

"I guess we COULD go for a round two"

"Well, technically, it would be round five."

"Screw technicalities Jeena, let's get down to business."

Just as the couple were going to start their 'business', Jeena's mobile rang.

"Oh hell, worst timing." She rummaged into her pockets to retrieve her phone.

"Yes? I'll be there right away." She pocketed her phone and grabbed her handbag.

"What is it Jeena?" asked Rallen, slightly disappointed.

"HQ found a sector that hasn't been mapped yet, unexplored territory. That's you thing isn't it Rallen?"

Rallen laughed, being reckless and exploring was his interest, but right now the only exploring he wanted to do was under Jeena's jeans.

"Let's go Rallen." She motioned for him to stop staring and get up. He didn't move, eyes still locked on her electric blue ones. "_God she's beautiful_" thought Rallen.

Jeena kissed him and that snapped him out of his paralysed state.

"Err, yeah let's go Jeena." Rallen stood up and kissed her on the cheek.

"We don't want to piss Commander off, and Rallen, calm yourself down, it looks like there's a flagpole in your pants."

He looked down, and was flooded with embarrassment.

Before he could leave the door, Jeena stopped him; a puzzled look crept onto his face.

"Rallen, I know we're in love, but in public, we're both single."

"Got it"

Jeena smiled and pulled him into their biggest kiss yet. When they pulled away, Jeena whispered "Wow" to herself.

Inside HQ, they met Harry. He spoke to them.

"Rallen, welcome back! Commander's absent for the moment, so I'm in command."

"Ok Harry, what have you got for us?"

Harry motioned toward the screen behind him. A picture of a dark and ghastly purple planet showed up. Orbiting it was a satellite as bright as a diamond. It was the planet Meido. The sight of it gave Rallen goose bumps. His memories of Meido were not good. Ever since it imploded, he was relieved. But now, it was the subject needing the attention of the best NPP team.

"Ever since these two planets imploded", Harry continued "There have been several unexplored gaps in the space where they used to be. I want you to patrol these regions for any sign of Krawl."

"Why are you bringing this up now Harry?" Jeena asked.

"Because we have lost exactly four patrol cruisers to this area."

Jeena quivered, but he knew that Rallen was the best.

"So, who will be coming along?" asked Rallen.

"You'll need Charlie, so besides you two and him, I think Aldous should accompany you."

"Okay Harry" acknowledged the partners.

"Jeena" said Harry.

"Yes?"

"Something's different since Monday."

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know, something's changed."

"Nothing has. I assure you." snapped Jeena.

"Very well."

Once the two were safely out of the Command Centre, Jeena almost fell over. Rallen understood, but neither of them said anything, and the two walked to their cruiser and saw Aldous and Charlie already there, waiting.

After the initial greetings, Rallen took the controls and Charlie as the co-pilot. Aldous set about in the Lab System while Jeena was keeping an eye on their surroundings, via the cockpit windows and the RADAR.

When they reached the last known location of Meido, Rallen couldn't see anything, and scratched his head. Then, an enormous contact showed up. It was green, round and spinning extremely fast. A portal.

"Guys! Portal twelve o'clock!" shouted Jeena. Then, comparatively small purple vortexes flooded out of the portal. Krawl. Everyone froze. Then, the Krawl split into two odd groups. One headed for the edge of the system, and the smaller group headed straight for their cruiser.

Rallen floored the reverse thrusters and somersaulted the cruiser to turn it around. Then, he floored the emergency rockets and raced away, with the vortexes hot in pursuit.

"Not these good-for-nothing Krawl again" groaned Rallen, and activated the cruiser's self defence guns. They swivelled in different directions but the Krawl were faster, and pounced on the guns, ripping them off their platforms and puncturing holes in the fuselage. The cockpit was depressurising.

Vacuum raced in and the air raced out. Charlie, Jeena and Rallen put on their oxygen masks and kept piloting and evading their attacks, but soon, the Krawl would find a way to get inside, and with no Spectrobes ready for battle, they would be defenceless.

Then, at the thought of Spectrobes, Rallen remembered something. Aldous was in the cargo room, and without any oxygen masks. Rallen threw his off and raced into the cargo room elevator, which by sheer luck, was still working. He found Aldous passed out in front of the lab system. Rallen ran forward, but then, the cruiser shuddered. He collapsed and he was thrown to the floor and knocked out.

* * *

><p>Sometime Later...<p>

Rallen smelled a metallic aroma. He sat up and saw two other beds beside him. Charlie and Jeena were still unconscious, or asleep. He thought about Aldous and struggled to stand up until a medic opened the door, followed by Harry, whose face was looking grim. Rallen tried to salute but collapsed in his bed.

The medic muttered something uncomprehended by Rallen. She injected Rallen with something that sped up his heart rate back to normal. Rallen sat up and almost bowled the medic over.

"Where am I? What happened?" he asked.

"Calm down sir, you are still suffering from the side effects of hypoxia, so please, lie down" she answered, in a calm voice. Rallen did so, and when he woke up, Jeena was up but Charlie not so much. He was muttering something about cheesecake.

Harry stood in front of their beds.

"Damn, they slaughtered you. You were lucky that Nessa Air Force found you drifting in space before you died."

"Where's Aldous?" asked Rallen.

Harry sighed. He decided to give him the complete answer.

"Aldous died of hypoxia before he could be rescued."

Rallen didn't think. He didn't swear, punch Harry, or do anything else that might burn down the infirmary. He just sat there, partly in shock and partly because his legs were too weak to get out of bed. The last human of the Giorna System, dead, gone forever.

"On a much happier note" Harry added. "Jeena, I finally figured out what's different."

"_No way he could find out, he's not physic_." She thought.

"You've been having sex." Harry bluntly stated.

"Excuse me?" asked Jeena in shock.

"There's a glow in your hair, don't deny it. There's also a spring in your step." Harry added, with a grin on his face.

"So, who's the guy?" he nosily asked.

Rallen was the first to speak.

"Uhh… yeah Jeena, who's the guy?" he asked, trying to sound innocent.

"No-one you would know of."

"You sure? I've met a lot of guys."

"Let's not get off topic here you two." interrupted Harry.

"Aldous's death was tragic, but we have Krawl to deal with."

Back in HQ, everyone was gathered, listening to Commander Grant, who had returned.

"The Krawl have returned. We must be on high alert. A Spectrobe Master is dead, we cannot afford another."

Everyone's attention turned to Rallen, who had a deadpan face. Then, Grant started allocating sectors to various patrol officers, until he got to Rallen and Jeena.

"I need you to stay on Kollin, if the Krawl hit here, we want our best to keep them out."

"Yes sir" the couple said in unison. Grant nodded and handed them a wad of cash he said they were to use to organise a funeral for Aldous. Then, they jogged to their cruiser to fly around Kollin a few hundred times. It was extremely boring and Rallen couldn't see the point of it, but orders were orders. They passed the Service Bay, and occasionally someone would wave at them from the window.

* * *

><p><strong>Many hours of uneventful patrolling hours later...<strong>

After stepping off their cruiser, Charlie and Rallen contacted Grant to report what had happened-nothing. He acknowledged, and the two parted separate ways. After leaving HQ, they saw it was dark out, so they took the elevator down to the Central Terrace and talked for an hour about the Krawl. Then, Jeena thrust her hand into her pocket, and pulled out the same lacquer box Rallen had seen earlier. The livery on it was silver and it was about the same size as a playing card.

Then, Jeena got out of her seat, and kneeled in front of Rallen. She presented the box to him, and opened it. Inside, was something that shone like gold.

* * *

><p><strong>Bet you guys can't guess what's inside ;) <strong>


	6. Chapter 6

**I know, it's been so long! I'll try to keep up but factor in school, work and stuff and you get a very little window to write these.**

* * *

><p>Rallen gasped. The light of the object reflected off Jeena's electric blue eyes, making her look cuter than ever.<p>

"Was that….. Aldous'?" asked Rallen, still breathing quickly.

"Yeah, it was his; I found it in the wreckage. Still in good condition huh?"

That was an overstatement. Aldous' golden Prizmod glowed brighter than ever under the half moon.

"I couldn't fix your one; it kinda broke in my hands." Jeena told him.

"This is great! Now I get my Spectrobes again!" he then remembered Aldous was dead. Jeena hugged him.

"It's alright Rallen, don't be sad."

Rallen didn't answer, and as the couple neared Jeena's apartment, Rallen finally broke the silence.

"Jeena, what's Charlie like?"

Jeena turned. "He's a good pilot, but he sometimes acts like he'd swallowed a sack of sugar a minute ago."

"Heh."

That summed up their conversation for the night. They both slept in peace, although Rallen took a while to sleep because he kept gazing at his girlfriend, unable to calm.

Meanwhile, on Ziba…..

"What a measly little planet. I wonder how incompetent Gronos must have been to be unable to devour this place."

The figure than turned to some Krawl.

"Crush this planet underfoot and scatter its essence through space as a warning."

"It will be done"

Commander Grant was talking to Jeena when Harry called on the intercom.

"Excuse me Jeena."

"Harry? Make it quick"

"Sir, Ziba researchers have seen abnormal changes in the planets magnetic field strength. It could send the planet out of orbit."

"Can we contact them?"

"No sir"

"Why not? I heard some rumours about some fights on Ziba but nothing more."

"Your rumours are out of date Commander." Harry's voice changed into a colder tone.

"There is no Ziba anymore."

Rallen and Jeena heard the last remark and both of them felt a rush of adrenaline. Grant ignored them and snapped out of his shock.

"How many casualties?"

"One, Professor Wright "

"Dead or injured?"

"Both"

The air conditioning inside the Command Centre felt twenty degrees colder on Rallen's neck. Professor Wright was dead. Were the Krawl trying to kill people close to him specifically? He shook the thought away, he was going to protect Jeena with his life if need be.

Grant spoke. "Thank you Harry, keep us updated."

He turned back to the couple in front of him.

"Rallen, Jeena, go to Akaboshi, Professor Kate is there, make sure she doesn't suffer the same fate her colleague did."

His voice had a blend of firmness and urgency in it.

Rallen and Jeena nodded and doubled it to their patrol cruiser, in which they departed Kollin at full speed.

"Too many people dying" Rallen muttered to himself. Professor Wright was a good friend, but mourning would have to wait until the Krawl were defeated."

Soon, they were within Akaboshi's gravitational pull. Jeena steadied the cruiser for landing.

"Rallen, I'm picking up a large concentration of Krawl energy in the vicinity."

"Land as close to it as possible."

"Safe is better than close."

"Matter of opinion."

Rallen jumped out of the cruiser, activated his jetpack and hovered over the apparent spot of the Krawl Jeena had detected earlier. He couldn't see anything. Suddenly, his jetpack failed and he plummeted towards the ground, only Akaboshi's low gravity saved him. After pulling his face from the small crater he had created, he found himself surrounded by not one, but two Pinorskas.

Rallen had battled these before, but ever since he had defeated Maja, all the Dark Spectrobes he had owned lost their Dark property, and were now normal Spectrobes. But these Pinorskas weren't normal, not one bit.

Rallen prayed that Aldous had a Geo, and luckily for him there was one, a Flame Geo, the one that was broken when Aldous first gave it to him on Nox. He summoned it, but something was strange. It wasn't doing what it normally did, which was destroying enemies with its pure awesomeness. Instead, it just floated there, idle.

Rallen saw a purple texture crawl over its surface then it disappeared. Then the Flame Geo shook itself a bit, and summoned a fireball, at which the Pinorskas braced themselves. After a flash of brilliant light, there were just two Pipods smoking on the ground. Rallen collected them with his Prizmod and contacted Jeena.

Jeena, however, back at the ship was busy explaining to Charlie about the Incubator and telling him to stop knocking it over. Charlie hung his head in shame and walked into the cockpit, and answered Rallen's transmission.

"Rallen, what's up?"

"Get me out of here!"

"Uhh but, Jeena is-"

"I don't give a crap, let's get out of here!"

Rallen activated his sword gauntlet to emphasise it. Soon, Jeena was at the controls, and Charlie was co-pilot. Rallen blasted one more Krawl Dust and sprinted as hard as he could towards the ship. Charlie then took control while Jeena monitored the readings on their sensors.

"Rallen, Akaboshi is going to implode!" she cried, with urgency.

At this, Rallen instinctively floored the throttle, and they blasted away from Akaboshi just in time, as it imploded and swallowed its sister moon Aoboshi with it. They made a spectacular cloud of debris which resembled a perfect figure-of-eight. Soon, the energy surrounding the two moons had disappeared. Once where two moons shone in the Naniro sky, there was nothing. Professor Kate, one of the biggest contributors to Spectrobe knowledge in the system was dead.

Soon, Rallen took his hand of the throttle and leaned back in his chair.

"We couldn't save her…." He whispered.

Jeena understood the guilt he felt, but what he did was necessary. The cruiser created a small eclipse against the Nanairo sun as it descended towards the service bay in the Kollin Rings. As their clearance was granted, Rallen unbuckled and trudged to the cabin door, which hissed and opened. Charlie followed Rallen down the ramp while Jeena stayed behind.

The Service Bay elevator crunched slightly and lifted. After the door opened, instead of a lively Hank at the counter ready to customise their ship, there was his lifeless body hanging on the side of the desk. The scene was gruesome, and both Charlie and Rallen drew their blasters. They duo edged toward the room adjacent to Professor Kate's lab and found a single survivor, coughing up blood from punctured lungs. Rallen performed his CPR while Charlie applied First Aid treatments. Then, they carried him back down to the cruiser and placed him in Aldous' capsule.

Jeena was traumatised, but didn't tell them.

"He's unstable, but the capsule should help keep his heart rate steady." Jeena informed, after scanning the man's vital signs.

"Aww man, the Krawl were here too?" moaned Charlie.

"Actually Charlie" perked Jeena. "It doesn't look like it. His wounds are from standard blasters, but who would do such a thing?"

Rallen knew, but he wasn't sure the other two wanted to know.

"Rebels"

Jeena turned.

"They started out as a minor group after we defeated the Krawl in the Kaio System, but they've grown to become a major pain in the ass for the NPP. It's what Special Forces training was for. But if Ziba and its moons got destroyed a few hours before this happened, it can't be a coincidence."

Realisation dawned on Rallen's face. He knew that rebels were just a pain, but if they were teamed with the Krawl, this could be a fight for the survival of humans in the Nanairo System.

Then, something showed up on the incubator screen in the cargo room.

"Detecting atomic mass coming really fast! It's almost on us!" shouted Jeena urgently.

"Holy crap there are nukes here!" cried Charlie.

For once, Rallen hoped he was wrong. But of course, his luck just had to fail him now. The service bay shook like a piñata.

"Jeena, let's get the hell outta here!" cried the two guys in unison.

Jeena didn't waste breath answering. She jumped onto her chair, and ignited the cruiser's engines. A support beam fell less than 2 metres from Rallen's face as they took off, again.

Strangely, the Service Bay didn't explode of implode, but it wasn't good. Nukes were dangerous, and if one went off, it would swallow the Service Bay, and the radioactive energy could make it down onto the surface of Kollin.

"We can't just keep running Jeena, soon we'll be out of places to hide, then what?" asked Rallen, frustrated.

"I don't know."

"How can you not know Jeena!?"

Only Charlie saved Jeena at that moment.

"Whoa cowboy, calm down."

Rallen relaxed his arms.

Jeena then transmitted what they had learned on their cruise to Harry. He casually accepted all the information, which was usual of him.

"…And that's the gist of it Commander. Just say the word and we'll crush those Krawl!"

"Sorry Rallen, can't let you do that. The Krawl think they've crushed our Spectrobe training capabilities, so using them now will make them more alert."

Charlie sighed.

"Until then" continued Grant. "You are granted leave but stay on high alert."

Outside, Charlie walked along with the couple towards the nearest subway.

"So Jeena, who's this new boyfriend of yours?"

Sweat beaded down her face like a waterfall.

"Uhh…"

"Is he handsome? Or more of a badass?"

Rallen joined in, trying to sound as innocent as possible.

"Uh yeah Jeena, is he handsome?"


	7. Chapter 7

After Ziba and its moons imploded, the Krawl seemed to disappear immediately. There were no signs of them at all. If they were still out there, they had the radar signature of a fly. With Rallen caught up in it all, and suddenly be ordered to not do anything, he became more frustrated than ever, but thanks to Jeena, he kept his patience.

One morning, Jeena was out and about early, and Rallen decided to spend some time at the park. As he sat down, the wooden bench creaked, but he still sat. The children were all happy and cheerful, oblivious to the fact that Krawl could engulf the planet any second. Looking at the children made Rallen think about having children of his own.

"Stupid idea" he thought. With that aside, he walked slowly back to Jeena's apartment, and lay down on her bed. He looked up and saw something he had never noticed. There was a paragraph of words inscribed on her ceiling, and he read it. He had heard all that gibberish during graduation, word for word.

Rallen tilted his head and his eyes caught upon a bookon Jeena's desk. It had her diary. He was curious, and slowly opened it. Jeena's handwriting was almost as neat as computer print., and the pen was bright pink, just like here hair. The diary entries were full of boring, work stuff until his eyes caught on a date exactly 2 years and 4 weeks ago. He examined the page, which, despite being two years old, still had distinctive drops on it.

Tears. This just added to the guilt that Rallen felt for leaving her. He closed the book, and placed it exactly where he found it. As he got up, his knee got caught on a drawer and it slid open. Inside it was empty except for one valuable object: A diamond ring.

Rallen's eyes grew. Why was Jeena keeping a thousand Gura ring in her drawers? Could she possibly have-

No, the thought was too horrible, if Jeena was already engaged, why would she accept Rallen? He didn't know either, but decided he had to pry the answers out of her. Concealing the fact that she had this ring was suspicious. He heard a lock turn, and indistinctive steps of silver boots tapping the tiles gently.

Rallen pocketed the ring and found Jeena holding bags of shopping. She really did care for him. Despite this, Rallen walked up to Jeena, and just as he was about to confront her, she turned to the light in her room, and for a split second, Rallen saw a bedazzling light come from her necklace. That thing had to be almost solid gold.

Rallen didn't understand. Being an NPP officer didn't offer extremely good wages, so he was confused on how Jeena was now wearing valuable jewellery. He decided to let go of it, and watched some old replays of Krawl battles on his television, all while he could hear the faint patter of Jeena having a shower.

He glanced at Jeena's bookshelf. The bottom shelf was all study books, about chemistry, physics and whatnot, but the topmost shelf was filled with books that he knew were all-time classics. One shelf however, caught his attention. It was full of magazines. On one, the NPP was the main feature, and it was printed just after Rallen had defeated Krux on Malik. On the back, was a signature of Commander Grant and a picture of Jeena holding Komainu on her forearms. Charlie was in the background. Just then, Jeena broke his gaze as she sat down next to him dressed in her turquoise bathrobe.

Rallen turned, kissed her on the forehead and lay down on the couch.

"Rallen, there isn't much to do, so why don't we have another round?"

Rallen stayed quiet, he was thinking, trying to untangle the mystery surrounding the murder of his own friends. Rebel groups were all over Kollin, mostly small, but some were more powerful than others. Rallen tried to piece together the puzzle, but it was like trying to figure out calculus. Jeena was much better at that stuff.

"Rallen? Lost in thought again?" Jeena asked.

He was, and after snapping out of dreams, he stroked Jeena's pink hair and decided to just stay.

Then, suddenly, everything fell into place. He knew what he needed to do. Rallen got up, put on his NPP suit and was out the door, leaving Jeena behind in shock. Rallen sprinted down to the subway, lurched into an express train and alighted at the NPP HQ. Outside, he saw Charlie enjoying a sandwich and some coffee. Rallen ran over, grabbed by the collar and threw him over his shoulder.

"Aww man…. You coulda at least let me finish that tuna sandwich….." he complained.

Far behind, Jeena alighted at the NPP HQ, and followed Rallen from a distance. She saw Rallen carrying Charlie over his shoulder like a log and entered their new patrol cruiser. Jeena managed to get inside just before the hatch closed. Rallen worked with quiet efficiency in the cockpit, his hands literally flying from the throttle, to wings, to afterburners. He didn't even wait for clearance to take off.

Catching her breath, Jeena struggled behind Rallen.

"What were you thinking?"

"Find out"

It was the blunt answer that put Jeena back. For the whole flight, Rallen pushed the engines to maximum throttle, until they could take no more and they were nearing where Himuro used to be.

"Ok, both of you listen up."

"Found you common sense yet Rallen?" asked Jeena. "You're still just as crazy."

"Errrfffff" muttered Charlie. "Tuuuuunaaaaa"

"Himuro nor Meido disappeared" explained Rallen.

Jeena started to understand.

"The Krawl used the same trick here as on Malik. Observe"

Rallen fired up the seven Dynaliums mounted on the front of the cruiser. The seven each fired a bright colour and where Himuro was, the huge diamond shaped planet came into view. Krawl enveloping the surface burned, until their very essence was scattered into vacuum. After the initial Krawl was gone, Rallen continued firing the Dynaliums. The beams reflected off Himuro's bright surface and found their mark, hitting the Krawl enshrouding Meido.

Charlie, who was finally fully awake, looked at the Krawl dissipating. Jeena stared as well. Suddenly, he jerked the controls and dived into the gravity of Meido.

"Rallen, you're being reckless again!" Jeena shouted, to no avail.

The Krawl were recovering quickly. Already replacement Krawl were covering Meido and Himuro. Rallen blasted through a gap and not-so-gently landed on the surface of Meido. It wasn't in any better condition since Rallen obliterated the Krawl boss here.

He called Charlie, and just as Jeena was going to depart the cruiser, Rallen's firm arm blockaded her path.

"Stay. Here." Rallen demanded. Jeena was about to protest, but Rallen's expression stopped her.

"Keep your eyes open on your scanner Jena, but stay here."

"Charlie, let's go." He nodded.

Charlie followed him outside. The stench was horrific. Krawl hatchlings were growing everywhere, but the duo knew where they were going. In front of them, a base gloomed in the purple-hue atmosphere. It was human. This was the hub of all Rebellion operations.

Outside the door, there was a guard wearing a mask to protect himself from the stench. Rallen's suit camouflaged into the landscape, and so did Charlie's. Their new suits were customised by Jeena a week earlier. Rallen motioned Charlie forward, and Charlie crept up in front of the guard.

In a flash, he kicked his feet from under him, and wrestled the guard into the sickly purple dirt. Then, he blasted the lock open. Both Rallen and Charlie entered, as quiet as possible. The corridors were very narrow, so the duo had to pin their hopes on no more guards in here.

Charlie opened the radio and cleared the static. Jeena was silent, her eyes fixed on the computer screen.

Once the pair reached a door that was coloured red and bordered with gold, unlike the others, Rallen opened it. The lock was not engaged. Inside, was a woman smoking an electric cigarette, relaxing in a chair. She seemed alone, but she most definitely the leader, or one of them.

Then, she opened up a makeup kit, and Rallen was about to duck when she caught eye of him in her mirror. Instinctively, she turned, and pointed a pistol at Rallen's face. Rallen fired at her hand. She dropped the gun, and fell backwards. Then, Charlie leapt onto her back and wrestled her onto the carpet, similarly to how he disabled the guard at the front door. Charlie fished in his suit pockets until her pulled out a syringe and injected the woman with a sedative that would keep her unconscious for the better part of the day. Rallen took over and opened every cabinet drawer and boxes. There was nothing.

"Let's make haste, and get out." Rallen called.

Charlie nodded and the two hefted the heavy woman onto their shoulders and carried her like a rug back to their cruiser. Strangely, their cruiser hatch seemed like it was forced open. A worried look crossed both their faces. Inside, Jeena was in her chair. Rallen ran up to her and asked her what she saw, but when he turned her chair, there was an enormous wound in her rib. Blood was oozing out.

Rallen quickly pulled Charlie up and the couple placed her in her room in the cruiser. Then, after literally smashing open the First Aid kit, Rallen pulled out some tissue soaked in antiseptic. Unfortunately, this was the worst possible time for Jeena to regain consciousness, which she did.

Charlie told her to tense a little, and applied the tissue. She screamed like a thousand knives were cutting into her flesh. Rallen held her down, and gave her a full kiss, lips and all. She calmed, but tears were still streaming from her eyes. After a few more seconds, Charlie snapped out of shock and started on bandaging her wound.

During the process, Rallen was a lot calmer, but his mind wasn't.

"Whoever did this, I'm going to tear their arms off. " He thought.

Rallen started the cruiser's engines, and took off from Meido. He noticed nothing had been taken, destroyed or moved. Whoever did this, it seemed clear it was Jeena who was the target. This only added to Rallen's fury.

After landing at Nessa, Jeena was taken to a local hospital, while Rallen interrogated the woman at the police station. Annoyingly, she refused to speak. Rallen waited, and waited. A few hours later, Charlie came, bringing Jeena along with him. Jeena had recovered, although she complained about the pain of walking.

She offered to help Rallen interrogate the woman. He accepted. Inside, the woman sneered as she saw the injured pink haired girl enter the room.


	8. Chapter 8

The middle aged woman sat in a plastic chair, handcuffed to the bottom of the interrogation table. She rotated her head and observed the room. The walls were bare grey, except for a mirror. The door looked like solid iron, and the small window it provided was enshrouded by a grey curtain. This particular room was one of the best-kept secrets of the NPP. Only 20 officers have access to this room. That was, until Rallen and his girlfriend entered.

"I _am_ honoured to be in such a room, kept secret by you bureaucratic numbskulls." The unidentified woman said sarcastically.

Rallen was the first to reply, with just the slightest amount of grit in his voice.

"The honour is all mine, for you have none yourself." He snapped.

Jeena calmed him down, reeling him back into his seat, and she revealed she revealed via a hologram screen the woman's identification card.

"**Elna Spader, 47 Kollin-Years of age."**

"**Home planet: Ziba**." Jeena read those facts out boldly, then shut the file.

"Now, Miss Spader, we have you in our custody, you have nothing to fear, tell us what you know, what you have done, and we will grant you a shortened sentence." Jeena persuaded.

Instead of replying to the pink haired woman, Elna turned her attention to Rallen, who was idly observing Jeena's bandage, which had a bright red stain on it.

"You care for her, do you not?" she asked. Rallen's face became apprehensive, but before he could reply, she went on.

"You see, she was so easily wounded when you left her alone, she, and you, were weak." She taunted.

Rallen started to get edgy, and moved forward in his seat. He had the feeling that Elna was taunting him. He relaxed, and tried to rein in his anger. But then, something came up, that was totally unexpected.

"I expected you, Miss Haruhi, being the weakling you are, to have died of a broken heart when your boyfriend left you, two years ago. But no, you persisted, writing in your diaries that she may yet see you again." She looked at Rallen "For months, Jeena lived a solitary life, spending time at home crying constantly, but she would not succumb to her grief." She then finished off her explanation.

"I knew you would come back one day, Rallen, the guilt you felt that day, I saw it only too clearly, so I tried to do the thing that seemed humane, ease your girlfriend's pain, so that she may never need to worry." Elna finished with a satisfying smile to her face.

For Rallen, he couldn't absorb what he had just heard. Several emotions played around in his mind. Embarrassment, guilt, but most of all, anger. He leapt from his seat, and flipped the table with his bare hands, catapulting Elna, until she lay on her back, on the floor, which felt, as cold as the ice back on Kogoearia. Once the table was still, she let out a laugh, a maniacal laugh, which made Rallen see red.

He deployed his sword, and held it so close to Spader's head; She could feel the difference in air pressure caused by the blade. Officials raced in, having heard the commotion, and dragged a cursing, screaming Rallen out of the room, with Elna smiling, taunting him. Jeena left the room as well, and went to see Rallen.

Rallen was blindfolded, and then escorted to NPP Headquarters, where he was debriefed. Jeena had to wait outside. While waiting, she looked at the golden pendant strung around her chest. Like before, it reacted to light, reflecting it in millions of different directions. She thought to when she had gotten it. But before she could fully remember the large doors noiselessly slid open, and Rallen walked out, and craned his neck. He turned to Jeena, and his frown faded a bit.

Rallen then felt the bulge of the diamond ring in his pocket, and thought about asking Jeena where it had come from, but that decision could have dire consequences, maybe even destroy their relationship.

But first, he needed to address the bigger issue, and that was the Krawl. They were massing in numbers. But this time, they had teamed up with some Nanairo rebels, and were trying to lay waste to their system. Some of the people close to him were dead, and he could not let their passing go quietly. He would avenge the deaths of those he held as friends. It was time to once more, summon his Spectrobes. He knew he was disobeying his Commander, but hey, what he didn't know, wouldn't hurt him….probably.

"Jeena, go power up the ship, it's time to summon our friends of light. _Iku ze_!". He made a gesture with his arm, and he thought "_Don't worry old man, I won't stop until I'm done with the Krawl"._ He then, put Aldous' golden Prizmod where it clicked in, and flashed light for a moment. Aldous left this for him; He would honour the old ginger haired man by using it to do what he did best: Crush Krawl.

He started walking back to his patrol cruiser, when Dave came out of the Weapon Center, and saw Rallen. He was surprised, seeing as Rallen had apparently left this job 2 years ago.

"Why hello there Rallen! It seems to me that you have reacquired your job here! I welcome you."

He shook Rallen's hand, and then, his face became stone cold.

"Keep this between us, my friend." Dave shoved a cube into his hand, a weapon cube. Rallen motioned and it compacted into his Prizmod.

"Thanks very much Dave. I'll keep in touch if I can."

Dave nodded, and turned back into the Weapon Center, leaving Rallen wondering about that weapon it was. But soon, he had forgotten, and was standing in front of their cruiser's lab system.

It was different to how Rallen remembered it. It looked as if several more additions had been made to the outside. Then, it lit up, and Rallen's eyes gazed at all the Spectrobes he had in the Line Up and the Incubator. Ever since they had destroyed Malik, Rallen's Dark Spectrobes seemed to have lost their Dark property, turning into normal Spectrobes, and the same had happened to his Dark minerals. Also, his Geo seemed to have mysteriously vanished, which was rather puzzling.

After feeding a Spikan and a Grilden with Evolve Minerals, they became his primary fighting force. Since they were back in Nanairo, the three properties Corona, Aurora, and Flash applied again, unlike the 5 properties they had encountered in the Kaio system.

Rallen thought back to when he had crash landed on Wyterra and when he rescued the village inhabitants from the Ancient Ruins. He wondered what had become of that system. Hopefully, they had not been consumed, and lived the way they had always lived – in peace.

Then, his vision was cast aside, as he heard the cargo room elevator purr, as it set down Jeena inside. She walked over, casting a glance at the Incubator.

"Aldous had a lot of Evolve minerals, it seems." She observed.

"Yup, he was one helluva Spectrobe Master. I'm honoured to be wielding what was his."

"Mr X" Jeena said.

"Old man"

"Bushy Beard"

"Old sleepyhead".

The two laughed and to each other, they told stories about their late friend Aldous.

"_Hard to believe he's gone." _Thought Rallen.

_Meanwhile, on the edge of the Nanairo system….._

A dark figure appeared in front of another.

"The human planet is weak. Should we strike now, they shall never recover." Hissed one.

The other figure stood still for seconds, and then answered:

"No, keep them alive, for I have my eyes set on the painful death of one human in particular." He boomed.

_Kollin, Patrol Cruiser_

Rallen had just finished filling up his Line Up, with 2 Evolved form Spectrobes for each property, and Komainu as his Child Form. For his Flash Property, he had Aobosar and Rydrake, and 2 Darutake's as Corona property Spectrobes.

"It's all coming back to me; I think I can lead the Spectrobes as well as I have done before."

Jeena lightly kissed his cheek.

"Of course you can, I know it." And she grinned, which immediately brightened up Rallen's expression. It always made him feel better to see Jeena happy.

Meanwhile…

?: _Nothing must happen to them. They're too young. I must stop Krux personally. _

On Kollin…

Professor Kate: Damn, I thought it would have worked.

Grant: Me too, but we could have never predicted that luring the Krawl to Akaboshi with your presence could have brought that. In the meantime, keep working on better Dynaliums, they are our only real hope, along with the Spectrobes. Keep my updated.

Kate: Thank you, I will.

Grant turned off the intercom and muttered to himself.

"If we are to defeat the Krawl, we must be vigilant to the end."

He picked up a picture of his great-great-great-great grandfather.

Or as he put it, "We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight in the fields, through growing confidence in the air and we shall defend our home, whatever the cost may be."

His session was interrupted by an officer knocking on his office door.

"Come in".

The door opened, and into the room came Dave.

"Ah, what might you be doing here?"

Dave pulled out a bill for his weapons research.

"Ah, I must have forgotten." He picked up a pen. "Signed, Commander, Grant."

**Meanwhile, in an unknown location…**

_?: You should have killed him when you had the chance. Use a knife next time. _

_?: I will not fail, master. _

_?: For your sake and mine too, you had better not disappoint me again. _


	9. Chapter 9

**This chapter went for a lot longer than I anticipated. Please review it. Only takes about one minute. It gives me very important feedback, and I was actually quite surprised I was clicking 'Post New Chapter' this early. **

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><p><em><strong>One week later….<strong>_

Professor Wright gazed at the hologram of Nanairo. Originally, he had faked his death to convince the Krawl that Kollin was ready to be crushed. But in doing this, he had to fool his own kind. Living in an underground lab in almost complete isolation was boring. He had always preferred the rich, tropical atmosphere of Genshi. Digging for fossils was like playing a hand in blackjack. But for now, he needed to work on Dynaliums with Professor Kate, and something else, equally as vital to the survival of his species.

It was not something, but more so, someone.

The doors slid noiselessly open. Inside stepped Professor Kate, not wearing her bulky pressure suit as she usually did, but in simple, overalls and a coat, as was per standard in underground labs.

"Any luck reviving Aldous?" She asked.

Professor Wright motioned toward a monitor showing every biological statistic of Aldous' body.

Since he had been suffocated aboard Rallen's patrol cruiser, he had been brought down here in complete secrecy. Not even Rallen or Jeena knew about it. After that, he was rushed to Kollin and into the underground lab where Wright was. He had been placed into a cryonic chamber, awaiting revival, if possible.

"Well?" Professor Kate's right eyebrow dropped a little.

"Is he dead?" There was true concern in her voice.

"Yes, and no. He's sort of in a twilight place between. If life and death were separated by a wall, he would be sitting on it." Wright explained.

"Can we revive him?" asked Kate.

"Maybe, but it would be a lot easier if it were more than the two of us. This kind of job would take at least 5 people to perform effectively."

"It's a wonder he survived at all." continued Wright.

"That capsule of his has truly top notch life-support tech." It's probably how he survived his first Krawl attack in space."

"Let's go check on him" suggested Kate.

"Yes, let's." agreed Wright.

They entered a sealed room. Inside were a control panel, several machines, and a table lined with several drugs with ridiculously long labels. However, in the centre of it all was a bulbous green capsule. Inside was Aldous, with his eyes closed, and frozen as ice.

Kate scrutinised a long paragraph of statistics on the monitor.

"His lungs may need to be patched; he needs to reacclimatise once we wake him."

"Besides that, we just need to defrost his body. Did you inject that surfactant?"

"Yeah, it was the first thing I did, after freezing the guy."

"Good, he should be ready in a couple of days." Professor Kate concluded.

"Should we tell Rallen?" asked Wright.

Kate turned around. Her face contracted.

"No. The first thing he will do is tell everyone Aldous is back. But on the other hand, we will need his Prizmod to pop the hatch after we defrost him." Kate was torn between what to do.

She faced Wright, and her hair sort of came over her shoulder.

"I need to convince him that we need to borrow his Prizmod." She said.

"How do we do that?" questioned Wright. "We're meant to stay low-profile, remember?".

Professor Kate cursed under her breath. She needed to find a workaround.

After a minute of pondering, she looked up.

"I've got it. This is what we must do…."

_**On Kollin, Jeena's apartment, West Side.**_

Rallen opened a hologram, revealing the front page of Kollin's daily newsreel.

"Anything interesting Rallen?" Jeena asked.

"Not really, just reported sightings of Krawl, and some weird new fashion trends."

"Well, I have something interesting for you.." , and she motioned towards her chest."

Rallen was about to kiss her until he noticed one article in the newsreel, and pulled back, leaving Jeena confused.

"It's the murder cases." He exclaimed.

"What?! Jeena exclaimed, still in confusion.

"The murder cases of Aldous, and Professor Kate, they're on the headlines."

Jeena scoffed. "Shouldn't they just blame the Krawl? It is their fault after all, right?"

Rallen nodded in agreement.  
>"I believe rebel groups are to blame. I mean, if they're working with the Krawl, which is a pretty stupid idea, and then it's not hard to believe they would let this attack go by."<p>

Both of them nodded in agreement.

Jeena's mobile phone rang.

"What is it now?" Inquired Rallen.

"….Ok, we'll be there." She cut the call, slipped it into her coat and turned to face Rallen.

"We're due to attend a strategy meeting with Commander and some others in a few hours. There'll be about thirty people there." She answered.

"Also.." she bit her lip. "We'll need to interrogate Spader again."

Rallen groaned, and his eyes turned to full attention.

"Not that bitch again." He complained.

"Yes, "that bitch" again." Jeena replied.

"They're giving you one last chance to speak to her. So don't bash her up like you did last time. It's, if anything, counter-productive. She's done her homework on counter-interrogation; don't let that get to you."

Rallen sighed…."Yes Ma'am."

A few hours later, in the afternoon, Rallen, Jeena and Charlie walked to the front gate of NPP headquarters. The doors slid open. Inside a tall brunette with dark skin and thick rimmed spectacles manned a metal detector and it went off as Rallen walked through it.

"Excuse me sir" She interjected". We need to confiscate your weapons."

Rallen argued back briefly. "I'm pretty sure this is allowed…."

But the woman was having none of it. "Sir, please, I insist, you must surrender your weapon."

Rallen glanced apprehensively. He rarely liked to part with his Prizmod. But orders were nothing else but orders, so Rallen opened his left gauntlet and surrendered it into a plastic tray.

"Thank you sir, you may enter the briefing room." It is due to start in 6 minutes, and will last a couple of hours. After that, you may collect your items back here. "she finished.

Rallen nodded, and Jeena handed the woman her mobile phone, and Charlie did so too. Then they continued into the briefing room. Rallen looked at the woman again, and had the slightest suspicion, but quickly crushed it. The elevator shut quietly, and soon, once they were out of sight, Professor Kate removed her glasses and her coat. She then swiped the Prizmod from the tray and took off, donning a hat and sunglasses to conceal her face as she left the headquarters.

Meanwhile, Wright was waiting outside on the street inside his car and spotted Kate walking down the terrace-like steps from the NPP HQ. He rolled up the window and unlocked the doors. A few seconds later, Kate opened the door, and sat in the front passenger seat, clutching what looked like a large hexagonal piece of gold.

"Is, that..?" He stammered.

"It is" confirmed Kate. "It's in a much better condition since last time we looked at it."

Wright agreed, and they drove inconspicuously to their small lab on the city outskirts. Quickly, they exited the car, and entered the building. The elevator thrummed to life as it carried its occupants down to the lowest level.

Kate punched in a 20+ character long security code and the door hissed open. A small mist came through. Inside were huge monitors and machines. Also what greeted them was the capsule. But Kate sensed something wasn't right. The monitors weren't making their short, intermittent beeps, which received updates every second of Aldous' condition. Her fears were confirmed when she strode up to the humming capsule and looked through the thick window.

It was empty.

"He's gone!" She cried.

"What?!" shrieked Wright in disbelief. "How did he leave? I thought.."

"…that he was unconscious." Kate finished. She inspected the capsule. "But his capsule could have woken him up already. No signs of struggle, and nothing breached either. He left from the inside."

"But….where is he?" asked Wright, still in shock.

"I don't know Professor, but he couldn't have gone far. I can assure you."

"In the meantime, comb security footage from surrounding buildings. He's impossible to miss." Kate said.

She was right. Aldous' face had become synonymous with fame on Kollin, and anyone who had half the commitment to read a magazine about current affairs was aware of him and his presence on Kollin.

_**Some hours later, in NPP HQ**_

"….so, if I may conclude, the Krawl will try and regain control of the system by first taking control of a planet, which is going to be Meido. Report any findings or reported sightings that surface, and if you do see anything suspicious, no matter how insignificant, please jot it down in your cruiser's log."

"That is all, you are dismiss…" An alarm went off inside the room, and blared loudly, cutting Grant's speech short.

Everyone looked around in confusion. Grant was the first to speak.

"What the hell is going on!?" shrieked Grant.

Harry then ran through a door from the intelligence sector and told the Commander the situation.

"Sir, the Ancient Ship, it's gone!" he whispered loudly.

"Not again….." sighed Grant. "Where to?, another portal?"

"It's possible sir" replied Harry. "But if it did, then the portal is already closed. We're still puzzled, because no-one knows the combination passcode to the ship's controls." He finished.

"Godamnit, we had enough trouble repairing it and hauling the thing off Nox, now you're telling me it's gone again?" He shouted.

Harry gulped, and nodded a few seconds later.

Grant yanked his microphone, and silenced the chaotic noise within the hall by clearing his throat.

"Please, everyone, you are dismissed, this was an accidental trigger, so please, calm down, and dismiss yourselves, thank you for your time." The crowd of NPP officers in uniform departed the room via the main entrance, in orderly fashion, if somewhat confused of the disruption.

Outside, the trio stopped, and Charlie was the first to speak up.

"I don't know about you guys, but that didn't seem like a false alarm to me." He observed.

Jeena contemplated for a moment, and then nodded in agreement.

"I saw Harry running through that side door. If it were a false alarm, he would have been walking in a calm manner. But, I really cannot tell what it means."

Rallen, who had been listening to both of them, also thought about it.

"Jeena, I think you just need to calm down, let's go to HQ." He sighed.

Jeena stood apprehensively, but Rallen gave her the 'Don't-you-dare' look and she faltered, and agreed that they should forget what happened and focus on their next task.

Charlie nodded, and turned, his orange hair angled in the wind as he turned towards it. He was on call for the day, and that meant he would stay at his home to leave at a moment's notice.

Rallen and Jeena walked into headquarters, where Rallen retrieved his Prizmod, which the person at the counter said was 'returned' just a moment ago, in a hurry. Rallen angled his head, confused. He glared at the small man for a second, but couldn't grasp a decisive explanation, on what he had just heard. Then, he swiped the Prizmod and inserted it into his left gauntlet. It buzzed slightly.

After walking down a few hundred metres of brightly lit corridors, they came to a door barred with iron. Inside, sat Elna Spader, just still. Rallen peered at the monitor. Spader must have noticed, because she made a cruel smile at the camera which was in front of her chin. She then said loudly, to make herself heard.

"I do hope you have improved your manners this time boy." She jeered.

Rallen tensed and then relaxed. "_Don't let her get a hold on you_" he thought to himself, and he opened the door noiselessly, and entered the room, and sat down.

"Hello Rallen."

"Hello to you too Miss Spader."

"Now to begin, tell us what you know about the rebel organisations in this Nanairo system. You have nothing to fear." He finished.

She scoffed.

"I will tell you what goes on in this System, but you probably already know. We are co-operating with the Krawl, bargained with them."

"What kind of bargain?" asked Rallen, interested.

"When your Spectrobe capability is finished, they will leave the system, leaving us, the superior nation, to take control." She explained.

Rallen gazed in pure shock.

"Do you really believe that the Krawl will leave this system alone?! It's in their nature to devour planets!" he shouted.

"They've lost enough of their species to you, and your little buggers." She snapped. "It seems logical that they want to move on and devour more vulnerable systems." And with a provocative tone, she continued. "..just like Giorna."

Rallen looked at her, holding back his anger, and closed his eyes briefly to remember Aldous. He had heard a plan of utter stupidity but managed to keep his calm.

"Miss Spader, I would like you to write everything you know that would concern us." And he placed a stylus and a data pad on the table.

He had heard what he needed to find out, and so with much caution, he stood up, and left the room.

Jeena met him outside.

"She spilled the beans." She commented.

"No." replied Rallen. "She merely spilled the sauce."

"I don't understand." Jeena looked, confused.

"Kollin is weak, why are they not attacking now? You saw what they did to Ziba and its moons. Why are they holding back here?" He explained.

Jeena shrugged, and an officer motioned them to leave. The pair nodded and walked out of the corridor, Jeena's boots making low vibrations in the wall as they went.

In her mind, Rallen was the best of Spectrobe Masters. But after their adventure in Kaio, she felt like as if she had been demoted to assistant to him, instead of true partners during their time when they were bonded by the CosmoLink. Maybe she could become his real partner, again.

The elevator hissed shut. Jeena closed her eyes.

_**Meanwhile, on an unknown planet, in an unknown system…**_

?: "Time to start from scratch. "

With that, the unknown figure traversed a small pond and began digging.

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><p><strong><em>A very anti-cliffhanger end to chapter 9. Not all the characters called '?' are the same. Although they might be. Please review, and i shall post the next one soon. I'm very excited as I have planned out the plot for the next 5-6 chapters. <em>**


	10. Chapter 10

**I'm back. I am not dead. Do not worry. A short view count does not discourage me. That is all.**

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><p><em>It all began with a knock. The nightmare. <em>

Rallen opened his door. Jeena was out, in the Central Plaza jogging around the park, so he was home alone.

A police officer walked in, accompanied by another.

Rallen looked puzzled.

"I'm pretty sure you have the wrong guy…" he began.

The officer glanced at him.

"A, Mr Rallen Lumani and a ….Miss Jeena here?". He pondered.

Rallen was surprised. He had no idea why the police were here.

The older constable scrutinised Rallen's face.

"Where is Miss Jeena?"

"She is in the Central Plaza, having her daily jog."

After not a very long moment, the policemen stiffened.

"Mr Lumani, you are under arrest for negligence which has cost lives. You have the right to remain silent…."

Rallen soon zoned out. Negligence? What had he done that could possibly put him under suspicion?

Although for the next hour he remained conscious, he could not remember what had happened. The shock was too much for him. He remembered a drive to a police station, and being ushered rather vigorously into a cell.

Rallen came to and calibrated his senses in what seemed like a few moments, but was really several hours.

He was inside a jail. The bars were thick, and intimidating. He looked down. His Prizmod was gone, probably confiscated by the officers. He was a simple long-sleeved shirt, and tracksuit pants. The jail wasn't very cold, but it felt as if it was freezing, and Rallen's occasional outbursts of anger echoed through the place.

Then he remembered the entire encounter with the police officer.

_I can't believe I pulled Jeena into this. _

This time, his recklessness had cost him lives.

_Meanwhile, in Jeena's cell…._

Jeena looked around, at the blank cell. She sat up against a cold metal wall and folded her legs. She had been jogging when she was stopped by two tall men and they arrested her and brought her here.

_So I will be trialled? Damnit Rallen, this time your recklessness has gotten us in trouble with our own people. _

_**Some hours later…**_

Commander Grant stormed up to the Police Commissioner's Office.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" He demanded.

The Police Commissioner was short, and slightly fat. His face and figure had been attacked by old age more so than Commander Grant had. Some of his teeth were missing, and bald spots revealed themselves on his forehead.

"The pair took off without notice, and caused Aldous his life. I'm pretty sure that qualifies them to get arrested."

"You do realise how badly this will reflect on the NPP?" Grant glared.

"Honestly, I believe that you're just a careerist Grant, and this might be a blow to your pride."

"They are heroes Mark. You know that. If they were trialled, you know on what scale the social repercussions will be." Grant reasoned.

Commander Grant was right. Rallen and Jeena had been idolised as the hero and heroine respectively of the system. If the two were put on trial in a public court, the morale of the people of Kollin would plummet lower than the temperature on Hyoga.

Commisioner Mark tapped the first of his double chins with a pen, and made a sort of grunt.

"Well, those two must be treated as per the law." If they can't be put on trial, then that will assure their prosecution."

Grant sighed. He knew Mark would bring this up. And as Commander of the NPP, he knew that he could not abandon what he had promised himself - To be just and make rational judgements. He did not like the current situation. The Krawl were massing in the far reaches of the system, and their best hope against it was inside the underground prison cells of the Kollin City Police headquarters.

"What will become of them?" Grant asked.

"Well, given Kollin's current situation, I believe they can be granted temporary pardon should the Krawl return, but I'm afraid after that it is either life in prison or the death sentence." Mark finished with a cold tone.

"You're joking!" Grant shouted. His voice, could simulate a loudspeaker if Grant wished it to.

"It's no joke. What your pair did was negligence that cost lives, on Ziba, and Aldous. That sort of action is under the conviction of manslaughter."

Grant looked incredulously. No, he _glared_ at the Commisioner, but, when all said and done, the law was the law, and nothing could change it.

_Wait, did he say pair?_

Something stirred in Grant's mind. But nothing trickled out. He shook his head, and regained focus.

"I will tell the two of them immediately of their fate, whatever it may be. But know this, Mark."

The Commander stepped closer, so close he could feel Mark breathing silently.

"Do not underestimate the NPP, but more importanly, do not underestimate, _them."_

With that, he turned around and shut the door behind him.

Rallen was rather forlorn at the day's events. Being dragged to prison, without being given much detail. The guards at the end of the corridor were not providing him with an explanation either. Rallen sighed. He knew what he had done. He attracted the Krawl to Ziba, and thus, it was destroyed. He knew that it was his fault, and he knew, that he would be forced to serve his sentence, which he remembered from his NPP law studies, that negligence of rules was 3-5 years in prison with parole.

What made him feel worse though, was the fact that he had pulled Jeena into this. He should have listened, and he shouldn't have recklessly charged out to Ziba in pursuit of Krawl. it was his mission, but he was originally only meant to do a flyby, and report back. instead, he had charged out without any initial intel. He couldn't bear the thought of Jeena, serving some years here. Silently, he sobbed, and soon, he cried into his arms.

'_Damn girl, why did I do this to you? I had plans for you and me.'_

Rallen was interrupted from his emiotnal moment when he heard a series of electronic beeps, and a hissing as the thick, heavy doors to the prison opened, and the figure who stood in the doorway was none other than Commander Grant.

The guards sleepily saluted, they had been here since Rallen was locked in, in excess of 3 hours.

Grant motioned for them to leave. Although he technically did not have authority, the guards were only too happy to get a bite and possibly even sit down for once during their shifts.

Rallen looked at Grant, and wiped his eyes to eliminate the tears that were blurring his vision, then realised who it was.

"Sir!" Rallen saluted and stood up.

"Rallen." Grant did not say 'at ease', mainly because this was not a situation to be at ease.

"Sir?"

"I had a discussion with the Police Commisioner, and I managed to convince him to pardon your sentence until you defeat the Krawl for food."

"Sir? I thought I was going to trial?"

Grant sighed, with a defeated expression.

"I'm afraid, for reasons regarding public affairs, we cannot afford to trial you. The morale would drop, and you would be dishonoured. We cannot afford either, especially when it comes to someone like you."

Rallen understood, and knew he would serve his penalty.

"Sir, how many years?"

"Excuse me Rallen?"

"How many years will I have to wait here?"

"Rallen..." Grant broke off, but managed to summon the courage to finish. "After your mission is completed, there will be no wait."

"Sir?"

"It is the death penalty."

Rallen stumbled back. His head did not move. His mind felt frozen, and the air felt colder all of a sudden. Taken aback by shock, he fell to the prison floor, only saved from injury from instinctively sticking out his arm to break his fall.

After a few seconds, he looked back up.

"Sir, does Jeena know?"

"Not as of yet. I shall tell her now."

"Sir, with your permission, I would like to see her."

With that, Grant went into the tea room where the guards were. After a bit of conversation, he came out, followed by the taller warden. The warden punched in a code, and the bars lowered. Rallen, stood up, and took his first step out. Then, he looked down the empty corridor, where the exit was.

The warden must have known what he was thinking, and poked the side of his head with his pistol.

Rallen moved away slightly and followed Grant. The tall warden followed closely behind, pistol levelled at Rallen's head.

After turning the corner or the far end of the corridor, they came upon a pink haired young woman, lying on her side, still.

Grant motioned Rallen to move back around. He didn't want Jenna to see him while he broke the news. Rallen understood. He retreated, guard in tow.

The Commander tapped Jeena with his gloved hand, which made her stir. She looked at him, and she tried to salute, but from exhaustion, she only managed to sit up, and even then, she had to support herself with her hand.

"Sir..?" She tried to focus.

Rallen did not listen to what was said between the two for the next minute. He did hear a long pause, and after another minute, he heard, Jeena quitely sobbing. He couldn't contain it. He revealed himself, and ran up to Jeena, while pressing his face on the bars that separated them.

"Rallen?" Jeena started in shock, and disbelief.

"It's alright Jeena, it will be fine."

The two embraced each other. Not even the stone cold bars felt cold to either of them while they embraced, and it felt as if it lasted for a few minutes, and neither wanted to let go. Jeena quitely cried onto Rallen's shirt. In response, he patted her shoulder, reassuringly.

"I will not let them do anything to you, I promise."

Jeena shook her head.

"And if it happens anyway?"

Rallen then realised what she meant,and he fell silent too. The two disengaged from the embrace, and Jeena fell, until she lay, once more, still on the cold, prison floor. Rallen wanted to say so many things, but nothing came out of his mouth. He was lost for words.

"It is time." The tall warden broke the silence, and motioned for Rallen to move.

Rallen knew the duration of his life now depended on the Krawl.

_Meanwhile..._

A sharp female eye stared at the surveillance footage being played live from Jeena's cell. Her instincts, honed from tuition, studied their speech, and rewinding the footage over and over again. Then, she dialled the phone to an unknown number, and when the line was clear, she spoke.

"_I know what must be done."_

_"I am listening."_

_"Mafeking."_

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><p><strong><em>If you are reading this, and were waiting for this after reading the previous chapter roughly a month ago, I thank you and reward you for your patience. Remember, reviews make me update faster. That is a true fact. It shows you care. <em>**


	11. Chapter 11

**Hello. Thank you for reading. If you really like this, please review. it takes about 5 minutes to sign up and 2 minutes to write a short review. It shows you care. **

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><p>It was quiet, and the large window on the side of the base pointed down at Nessa, where the usual sandstorms raged. Cyrus sighed, and tapped his chin, looking down at the root of his success, the planet and the minerals it held.<p>

Cyrus toyed with the Diamond Mineral in his hand, one of his most valuable possessions, the very same one that was plucked by Rallen of the Daichi Tabletops some months ago. He held it up to a lamp. Like all the jewels that adorned his fingers, the light reflected and refracted when it struck the translucent surface of the mineral. Lilton, the colony capital, was too crowded, so he had resorted to purchasing a few hectares of Io's surface, to make a home. His butler was on holiday in Kollin, and therefore he had to, reluctantly, take on his butler's jobs, such as answering the phone, and receiving messages.

His message pad chimed. 'Commander Grant, NPP.' It said.

Cyrus blinked, then he answered it after a slight hesitance.

'Hello?'

'Cyrus, help me out here.'

'Grant? What do you want?'

Grant stayed quiet for a single second.

'4 million gura.'

Cyrus was taken aback. Never had anyone at all ever requested this amount of money from him. His house on Lilton had cost half of that.

'What the hell you need that for?' he roared into the phone.

"I need to bail Rallen and Jeena out of jail. You know, the ones who saved Nanairo."

"I'm not even going to ask how they got into jail." Cyrus said.

"But I don't just hand out 4 million willy-nilly Grant! What's in it for me?" He started to get his bargaining tone on.

Grant sighed on the opposite end.

"Forget I asked. I have to go, I could have the media tapping in on this call. But you and me go way back, remember? You can choose what you want to do. But just remember what happened in the desert." He retaliated.

"Damnit, I was hoping you'd forget that incident."

"I never forget things in my line of work."

Grant hung up, and looked down at more paperwork. He looked at the profile of Charlie Franklin for a second. He scrutinised it. Charlie's past seemed almost non-existent. No phone, supposedly orphaned by an earthquake, and his academy records were sketchy, and few and far between. His past had been ill-documented. Grant wondered why, as if there was a more sinister reason to it.

Professor Kate glanced at her watch. It had been a few days, and her satellites had told her the Ancient Ship was gone. No-one had suggested who had taken it, but the implication made by the disappearance of Aldous mean it was all too obvious.

None of that mattered for the next hour. 13 bodies, including Hank's, were in coffins and being buried in the Western Side Cemetery. Wright was there too, as well as all of his lab crew, and colleagues of the deceased.

Hank's mother was there too. She didn't cry. Instead, she looked as solemn as humans can possibly look. She walked up to Kate slowly, and turned up to look at her. The face she made wasn't accusative, it was just sad.

"Hank liked to…help people." She began. "….All his life, he just….wanted…to help people….right?"

She then turned to look back at the coffins, adorned with flowers.

"Why Him?"

Kate knew better than to reply and stood still. She ran her fingers through the black silk, and remembered his times when Hank was his colleague. Now was the time to not think of anything else, and just her friends that were slaughtered that day. But even now, there had been no identification of the assailants.

She wore a black veil to conceal her identity. Everyone just took her as a friend of some sort to one of the deceased. The afternoon was cold. She felt the wind through her veil as it lifted it ever so slightly. A priestess sang a short hymn, and the spectators began to mourn in silence. In the midst of it, the two professors beat a retreat, unseen by all.

The pair got into their car. Professor Wright punched in an activation code, and the engine hummed to life. The pair drove away back to their lab. Since their 'disappearance', it had been a home, if somewhat small, for both of them. Wright longed for the spacious and well-facilitated Spectrobe Research Lab in the NPP headquarters.

Kate was simply homesick. She grew up as a girl from the Eastern regions in Siberia where she was in touch with the wild. She remembered sometimes her parents calling her home after she was hours overdue from returning, because she had been returning a fallen bird's nest back to a tree. She also remembered digging up an obscure looking fossil. She remembered it as a Komainu, but she had no idea at the time.

Down in their lab, Wright sat on his bunk and monitored a screen of statistics.

"Amazing, isn't it." He held a Geo in his hand.

"Where on Earth did you get that?" Kate asked.

"Oh, I got it while we had Rallen's Prizmod." He examined the burning center of the Flame Geo. If only we could study this back at the lab, imagine what we would find.

"Tindera is a wild creature, and should be treated as such." Kate stated.

"Even so…" Wright was given the '_Don't even.'_ Look and faltered.

He sighed, and placed the Geo into a locked chamber.

He stared at Kate, who he thought was very pretty. He dissolved his immature thoughts. Kate was very professional, and had always managed to keep work and pleasure separate. Wright was also professional, but Kate had spent most of her time in her work, unlike Wright, who spent his holiday weeks on the tropical holiday resorts on Genshi.

"Wright, tell me. What is troubling you?" Kate asked. She sat down, next to Wright on the two-person bench inside the capsule room.

"You seem awfully restless today."

She was right. Wright had been hit awfully when he heard that Rallen and Jeena were in jail, and that Aldous was missing. Those were his two best friends outside of work.

"Hmm….." Wright stared at Kate's eyes.

'_You look very nice.' _He wanted to say. But he just said "No. I'm fine."

Kate looked intently. "Hmm…. If you say so."

She looked around.

'Let's go. Rallen's trial is about to start."

That got Wright's attention. "Alright, let's depart. I wouldn't give anything to miss my friend's trials."

Kate put her hand on Wright shoulder.

"They will not go to jail." "I promise." Kate reassured.

Wright looked up and then back down again, then agreed.

Kate nodded and motioned for Wright to join her in the elevator.

Instead of going directly to the courthouse however, Kate drove to a hospital.

"What are we doing here Professor?" Wright asked, puzzled.

"Wait here, stay low." She replied, leaving Wright in the dark and she walked behind the hospital, towards the rubbish dump.

Then, she came back with two boxes, and a long piece of cloth.

She then pulled out a bottle of a clear substance from the bag."

"What is that for?" asked Wright.

"I'll answer that later." Kate replied, and the pair departed to the courthouse.

_In the courthouse….._

The pressure was against Ian. He had no idea why he had volunteered to be the prosecutor. If he was successful, he would be viewed as a bad figure, and he knew this. In spite of it all however, he knew he had a job to do.

_Meanwhile, in Grant's Office_

"Charlie, I need your help. Rallen is in trouble…"

"Sir?"

"I went to great lengths to get this back." And Grant pulled out Rallen's Prizmod.

"Sir, I understand." Charlie replied.

"This is what you must do….."

_Back in the courthouse…._

Rallen was thirsty. He was relieved when a civil servant of sorts brought in some water and downed a cupful. He then looked up at the judge. Everything seemed ready. The crowd settled, and a feeling of dread descended on the prosecuted pair.

"Today, the defendant Rallen Lumani faces charges of unintentional manslaughter, and deliberate breach of the NPP code of operation level 5. Both of these are punishable with 10 years or a life sentence. How does the defendant plead?"

Rallen did not reply. He felt so alienated, vulnerable in the court. He didn't like it. He felt sick. In fact, he felt so sick he vomited on the floor, and collapsed, not even feeling the pain as he hit the deck. He mouthed the words: "Not guilty."

The prosecution proceeded. Unfortunately, Rallen's representative was inexperienced, a recent university graduate, and this was only his second real trial. Under enormous pressure, he became less and less comprehensible, and Rallen's fate was sealed. There was little evidence to deny what he had done, as Jeena had pleaded guilty. The prosecution seemed to grow more and more confident, and Rallen's shape grew worse and worse. His vision was stifled, and he could not stand up without support.

The jury took less than 30 minutes to come to a conclusion.

"What is the jury's conclusion?" Asked the judge.

Rallen vomited again, and a pair of paramedics then picked him up on a stretcher and carried him away.

The judge had no choice but to suspend the trial on grounds of health problems. There was an uproar from the prosecution.

"That man is going to jail!" one shouted.

Rallen was carried into an ambulance, and given some painkillers to cease his reactions. One paramedic drove the ambulance, while a woman cared for Rallen in the rear.

When he finally focused his vision, he noticed that he was not surrounded by medics, but only one. The hospital room was cold, and quiet. Only the air conditioning made a small whirring noise. The paramedic attending to him walked out, and Rallen could only hear some muttering. Then, another woman walked in. It was none other than Professor Kate in a doctor's scrub mask.

Rallen was taken aback.

"Well I never."

Kate smiled, a dull smile.

"It's good that you're here Rallen." She said.

Rallen glanced around, and Kate must have figured out what was on his mind.

"Jeena is fine; they put her into intensive care, otherwise known as Wright's hospital room."

Rallen lay back down, calmer.

Kate stiffened. "We cannot keep you here on the planet long Rallen, you will be prosecuted and jailed, and with the Krawl threat, that is not an option, even if the NPP grants you a temporary pardon to fight them."

Rallen was puzzled.

"Off the planet?" "Where to?"

Kate replied.

"We received a transmission on NPP frequency from an outer system. The author says he can help you fight the Krawl, away from Kollin."

Rallen was still puzzled.

"Will you come with us, both you and Wright?"

Kate paused. Then, she answered.

"Who are you talking about? We died, remember?"

Both of them smiled.

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><p><strong>Again, thank you for reading. I might accept plot ideas if it comes to that. Thank chapter will be posted in a month or earlier. <strong>


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